You may have heard this; I’d like to help you live it. As a birthday gift to myself I went snowboarding yesterday. After a beautiful morning on the slopes I crashed and injured my head, wrist and ankle – ski patrol toboggan-ride down the mountain and all.

An afternoon in the emergency room for x-rays didn’t ruin my day, it just changed it. My body hurt/s and I lost the expected fun, but I chose to be grateful for an afternoon of love and care from friends, nurses and doctors. Too late to avoid the pain; s*** happens… and it did! But rather than beating myself up over my bad luck or how I could have avoided it (no longer an option), I did have a choice to love my body even with its injury, and appreciate how it works so well and is already healing itself.

Emotional hurt works the same as physical trauma. Life will bring events that evoke fear that shrinks you, cravings with their pleasure and pain, anger that can hurt and isolate you or others – and they are painful. But they are not meant to make you suffer.

Just like the nerves in my leg, emotions bring your attention to the source of pain so you can relieve it. Fear alerts you to danger, cravings to a need, and anger serves to protect you or get what you need. Suffering occurs when you don’t understand the source, or heed the call, or respond. So don’t just endure painful situations, disturbing patterns, unsatisfying relations, or any uncomfortable emotion. Use them to guide you to healing, strength and happiness.

It’s your natural sensory system; simple to learn to use it well. Find out for yourself that Pain is part of life, but you have a choice about the suffering.